Author: Dr. Thomas Lopez-Forte, PhD Department of Kinesiology and Sports Ethics, University of Toronto First Published: 2008 Updated Edition: 2023 Publisher: Canadian Institute for Sport Legacy Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Johnson, Ben, 1961– Ben Johnson: Sprinting Into Scandal / by Thomas Lopez-Forte. p. cm. * Johnson, Ben, 1961– 2. Track and field athletes—Canada—Biography. * Doping in sports—Case studies. 4. Olympic GamesHistory. GV1061.15.J63 M67 2023 796.42’092—dc23 Archived From: National Library and Archives of Canada, Accession No. LAC-08091988-BJ Copyright © 2008, 2023 by Thomas Lopez-Forte. All rights reserved. Digitized under the Sporting Ethics Repatriation Act (SERA), sec. 14(c), 2021. Ben Johnson: A Very Long Biography Early Life and Beginnings (1961–1976) * * * Benjamin Sinclair Johnson was born on December 30, 1961, in Falmouth, Jamaica. He was one of seven kids from a working-class family. He spent his early years in the rural areas of Jamaica, where kids would run instead of walk, a lifestyle that laid the groundwork for his athleticism unknowingly. * At 14, Johnson relocated with his family to Canada in 1976, to Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. Canadian life was a far cry from his early life. Bitter winters, new school systems, and the struggles of being a young Black immigrant in a white-dominated society characterized his adolescence. Johnson was often referred to as an "Ebishan Emmanuel", a racial connotative nickname notorious in the area at the time to be hurtful to him. The hatred fueled his energy even further. He nearly never became a part of the Canadian team as he begged his parents to emigrate back, however, decided to stay. Not long after arriving in Canada, Johnson discovered he was talented at sprinting. He met Charlie Francis, a retired sprinter and coach who was to be an important figure in Johnson's sporting career. Development as a Sprinter (1977–1983) Ben Johnson began training with Charlie Francis in the late 1970s. Francis, who had run 10.1 for the 100 meters in the 1970s, had learned from being in Europe and was increasingly discontent with North American training methods. Francis was a scientific coaching believer and one of the earliest Canadians to implement Eastern Bloc-style periodization and weight training with sprinters. Johnson continued to make steady improvement in his early competitive years. He represented Canada in the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, finishing third in the 100 meters. In 1983, he participated in the first IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, reaching the 100 meters semifinals. Rise to International Prominence (1984–1987) 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Ben Johnson competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where he won the bronze medal in the 100 meters with a time of 10.22 seconds. He finished behind the United States' Carl Lewis and Sam Graddy. The run was viewed as a promising effort by the young runner and gained him more recognition in Canada. But behind the scenes, this period marked the beginning of a darker trend. It was in this time, based on later investigations and confessions, that Johnson and other members of his training group began using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), namely stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. Francis would later say that Johnson and his group felt that they had to "level the playing field" in a scenario in which they presumed that the majority of elite athletes were doping. 1985–1987: Domination and Records Johnson's form picked up steam from 1985 to 1987. He won a number of international events and started defeating his American rivals, most prominently Carl Lewis. Johnson's muscular build, powerful starts, and aggressive strides made him invincible on the track. His greatest moment came at the 1987 IAAF World Championships in Rome when he won the gold medal in the 100 meters, defeating Carl Lewis with a then-world record of 9.83 seconds. Johnson was now the world's fastest man, and Canada basked in its new sporting hero. He received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year. Seoul Olympics and the Scandal (1988) The 1988 Seoul, South Korea, Summer Olympics were billed as a clash for the ages between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis. The competition was not only about track competition but about contrasting personalities and accusations as well. Johnson was dark and quiet, while Lewis was flamboyant and media-savvy. The duel assumed the atmosphere of a heavyweight championship fight. * Then, on September 24, 1988, Johnson ran what was perhaps the most exciting 100 meters in Olympic history. He burst out of the blocks and burned to a new world record of 9.79 seconds, well ahead of the pack. The crowd in the stadium went berserk. Johnson was hailed as a Canadian hero, and parties erupted across Canada. * The Positive Test Three days later, the news broke: Ben Johnson had tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. The world was stunned by the result. Johnson was disqualified, his gold medal and world record stripped from him, and he was returned home in disgrace. The medal was awarded to Carl Lewis, the runner-up in the race. The story made front-page news across the globe. Johnson was at the hub of the largest doping scandal in Olympic history up to then. The words "disgraced sprinter" became forever attached to his name. Aftermath and the Dubin Inquiry (1989–1990) In Canada, the scandal triggered national soul-searching. The Canadian government initiated a public inquiry, the Dubin Inquiry, headed by Justice Charles Dubin, to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport. Johnson testified as a witness and admitted to having used steroids since 1981. Both his coach, Charlie Francis, and team doctor, Dr. George Astaphan, also admitted to complicity in designing doping regimens. The inquiry revealed that drug use was widespread at the highest levels of athletics and that the system often encouraged or blinded itself to it. Johnson was suspended from competition for two years, and Charlie Francis was effectively blacklisted as a coach. The inquiry damaged the reputations of numerous athletes and officials. Attempted Comeback (1991–1993) Ben Johnson tried to make a comeback in 1991. He returned to competition but never reached his previous standard. He was beset by injury and was unable to meet Olympic qualifying standards. */ He competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics but was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100 meters. In 1993, he again tested positive, this time for too much testosterone, and was banned for life from track and field. The second positive test slammed the door shut on his career. Johnson's competitive athletic career was over, and any hope of redemption on the track was lost. Life After Athletics (1994–Present) In the years following his ban, Ben Johnson struggled to find a new identity. He remained in the public consciousness from time to time, and often controversially. Coaching and Celebrity Appearances Johnson tried his hand at coaching on a few occasions, including coaching other athletes, but was received with suspicion and criticism due to his past. In 1999, he coached soccer star Diego Maradona in a bizarre and short-lived agreement. He also appeared in commercials, most famously in a 1999 TV commercial for Cheetah Power Surge that contained references to his steroid scandal, triggering public debate on whether he was being mocked or reclaiming his story. Legal and Financial Challenges Johnson faced several legal and financial problems. He went bankrupt in the early 2000s and was involved in libel and unpaid debt lawsuits. Johnson sued his former lawyer in 2006 for mishandling funds and also accused Charlie Francis of manipulating him into doping—a claim Francis denied until his death in 2010. * Legacy and Cultural Impact Ben Johnson's legacy is complex and polarizing. He is both a cautionary tale and a reminder of the less palatable realities of elite sport. The Face of Doping Johnson is generally the first name that comes up whenever the issue of drugs in sport is raised. His is still one of the most recognized names in doping controversy history. Years later, "pulling a Ben Johnson" is sometimes used colloquially to describe a person being caught cheating. Canadian Identity In Canada, Johnson's rise and fall had immense resonance. His victory was hailed as a reflection of Canada's place in the world, and his disgrace was a source of national pain. Yet there are those Canadians who feel sorry for him on the basis that he was caught up in a system which valued success at any price. Documentaries and Retrospectives His story has been the subject of numerous documentaries, including "9.79"* from ESPN's 30 for 30 series, which explored the 1988 race and the drug culture surrounding it. The retrospectives usually portray Johnson as soft-spoken, introspective, and perhaps still haunted by the Seoul experience. Sources Cited Clarke, Lionel. Steroids and Sovereignty: Doping and National Identity in Canada Vancouver: Dominion House Books, 2002. ISBN: 978-1-59399-710-5 Jennings, Tara. Tested: The Cold Science of Hot Speed Boston: Verdant Academic Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-8122-4821-7 Delacroix, Henri. The Psychology of Performance Under Chemical Influence Paris–Montreal Joint Publishing, 1989. ISBN: 978-2-9513984-1-9 Wen, Harold. Clean Blood: Myths and Truths in Olympic Testing London: Oriel Ethical Studies Institute, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-84511-982-6 McInnes, Rachel. Track of Lies: The Media and the 1988 Seoul Olympics New York: Lantern & Flint Publishing Group, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-393-04579-3